12.) Time to get to work- Brainstorming

🧠Brainstorming🧠

Helloo!! Welcome back or welcome to my blog! In this post, I will be sharing some movie realms I have been interested in for my final project. But first, I have an update!!! I will no longer be working with a group for this project.... 

So sad:(
I have chosen to part from my girls simply because of my current availability circumstances. My availability with winter break soon approaching hinders me from being able to meet up with my group for the filming process, so overall I figured it's be easier if I worked solo.
Although unfortunate, this setback won't stop me from giving my all into this project!!
So, after brainstorming ideas and watching a variety of movies and shows to gain inspiration for my project, here's a breakdown of some ideas I am considering + their pros and cons:

Drama

I'm mostly interested making a drama film because I believe it's easy to come up with a concept due to the many key aspects that can make a good drama movie. The genre of drama is extremely broad, giving me room for plenty of creative freedom. Also, they can easily relate to real-life situations and it may not be out of the ordinary, so it could be relatable to me and/or my audience. 

Personally, I have a heart for melodrama, teen drama, and philosophical drama. Melodrama is defined by the prioritization of dramatic rhetoric and plot over character in which events are intended to elicit an intense emotional response. Teen dramas focus on the lives of teenagers, group dynamics, and general woes of adolescence.The philosophical sub-genre is defined by an exploration of the human condition, and the drama is derived from the questions that are presented by mere existence and life itself (I referred to studio-binder for these definitions).Within these subcategories of the drama genre, I think a great middle ground giving me the ability to tap into aspects of all would be a coming of age movie. In fact, some of my favorite movies mimic this mix.

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 On the downside, however, dramas sometimes have the tendency to be a bit confusing and hard-to-follow for an audience if not done correctly. Also, it could be difficult creating a storyline that will hook and simultaneously entertain an audience while also keeping it relatable. Not everyone will have the same taste, and it's especially difficult to cater to that uncertainty when creating a plot for a drama. 

Comedy

Additionally, I think a comedic movie opener could be a good contender as well. Personally, I love comedies. Now would I look to make one? ....That's a different story. I don't want to be negative, but I feel like although comedies feel so easy and care-free to watch, actually making one (or a movie opener at least) could be pretty challenging. 

In my case, with such a short final product, it might be hard to emphasize the comedic aspects of story through only the opener of the film. Not only that, but to get that message across to the audience, I would have to appeal to the humor of most people. If there's one thing I've noticed most people seem to differ on-- it's humor. On the brighter side, I think comedies bring a fresh, light-hearted energy to audiences, which is something I would like to explore. 

Subcategories of the comedy genre I'm specifically interested in are buddy comedies, road comedies, and romantic comedies. Buddy comedies are comedies where at least two individuals are followed throughout a series of humorous events. An example of this type of comedy would be Rush Hour. Road comedies are comedies where the camera follows humorous situations derived from a journey along a set path, and often feature a set of stops and characters along the way that forces the protagonist(s) further down the road. Dumb and Dumber is a good example of this. Last but not least, I'm sure most people familiar with rom-coms could attest- they are just so cute. Each of these types of comedies could be achieved and create that feel-good energy -- just with a lot of thought!

My No-nos👎

For the most part, these are the only movie types I would seriously consider for my movie opener. For my project I'm not interested in musicals, thrillers, sci-fis, etc... These genres either don't spark my creative interest or are not worth the extra effort cultivate for a two-minute movie opener due to their complexities.

11.) Former Student work Critique

Helloo!! Welcome back or welcome to my blog! In this post, I will be critiquing some former student final projects in terms of their pros and cons.

1. Roll call

The first video I watched was made by Jacob Pina, Kayla Jencic, Tyler Bedasse, and Aaliyah Alex, and it's called 'Roll Call.' They did a great job with props, adding small but important details to the classified folders for each character. These little touches really enhanced the story and showed their attention to detail. You can see the effort they put into making everything look as realistic as possible. The room setup, the handcuffs, and the mugshots all contributed to a believable scene.

However, I felt like a big part of the story was missing. It could have used more context to fully engage the audience and make the narrative clearer. To give it more of a Hollywood movie opener feel, they could have used different camera techniques. Instead of having someone hold the camera, placing it somewhere steady would have helped reduce the shakiness.

Overall, despite these points, their effort and creativity were evident and commendable. They put a lot of thought into the details, and it showed in the finished product. 

2. New Everything

 'New Everything,' was made by Joel Balbuena. I really liked the idea and concept behind it—it showed great potential. However, I felt like it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. The transitions and camera shots felt a bit random and choppy, which didn’t quite match the tone of the movie. Also, the sound effects were sometimes out of sync with what was happening on screen, making things look a bit off.

I think with better camera work, improved sound quality, and a more polished script, this video could have been even better. It’s clear that there was a clear vision with this film, and with a few adjustments, it could be really good. Smoother transitions and more thoughtfully planned camera angles would help set the right mood and message. And syncing the sound effects with the visuals would make the whole experience much more enjoyable. Despite these minor issues, the creativity and effort behind 'New Everything' are evident.

3. Dreamland

This movie opener, created by Nyla Julmisse and titled 'DREAMLAND,' was exceptionally well done in my opinion. I honestly have no criticisms. Given the limited resources and lack of expensive equipment or props, it turned out remarkably well. The camera angles and movements were impressive, as were the transitions and the overall message. Everything came together perfectly to set the specific mood of the movie.

4. Dear Lover

The next movie opener that I watched was called 'Dear Lover' by Ana Araiza. This was a great watch and the story was well told. The close-up shots allowed me to really see the sad expressions on the actor's faces. I loved the use of montages to imply that they were showing old memories/flashbacks. You could see the brighter contrast and happier clothing in the flashbacks in contrast to the present where we see the girl is sad. All the elements used in this video was great, the only thing I can say should be worked on was the camera movements. They looked choppy at times, but for the most part, everything else was well done.

                             5. Dare to Thrill

Lastly, I watched 'Dare to Thrill' by Daniel Garzon. This was such fun and interesting watch. It genuinely looks like a professional student made film. All the camera movements and angles were exceptionally well done. The editing and sounds were great quality. The story was interesting and unique, I've never seen anything like it. And the plot twist at the end was unexpected and left me wanting more. I don't have any criticism for this film. I truly liked it. 

10.) Group Members

 Helloo! Welcome back or welcome to my blog!! In this post, I will be introducing you all to my teammates for my final project, which will consist of my closest friends also passionate about media - Nahomy Castro, Mariana Van Brackel, and Phi Le. I am positive my group will work together well to generate cohesive, creative ideas.Together, we already have a flowing dynamic as a friend group, so I'm excited to see how it will reflect as teammates. Im confident in our unique mix of talents and ideas individually, so I am sure we will undoubtedly merge to create greatness.

A picture of my group- Myself, Nahomy, Mariana, and Phi

9.) From screen to paper- Storyboarding

Helloo!! Welcome back or welcome to my blog! In this post, I have story boarded the ending clip from one of my favorite movies called Waves.

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What I've learned:

Storyboarding is a key part of making films and videos, helping directors and their teams visualize and plan scenes. It’s like creating a comic book version of the movie, or a blueprint.They are a series of sketches or frames that outline how a story will unfold on screen. This allows everyone visualize and imagine the script come to look like. This makes it so much easier for everyone involved to be on the same page. Whether it be simple drawings or complex ones, the overall goal of visualization should be reached by all.

Importance:

Storyboarding is such a useful tool for bringing the director’s creative vision to life. It ensures the final product tells the story and conveys the emotions intended. I've come to realize how important storyboarding is in movie production, even though it doesn’t get talked about much.When the director, cinematographer, and the rest of the crew can see what each scene is supposed to look like, it makes the whole process smoother. Its also so much easier to discuss and make changes to a storyboard than to do so during filming. This saves a lot of time- Time that should be spent getting to work!It’s fascinating to see how much work goes into this part of the process and how it helps make the final movie so much better.Another important aspect of storyboarding is that it helps with the pacing, flow, and timing of the story. In a storyboarding ,each frame connects one shot to the next, allowing us to see how the story progresses shot by shot. This makes it more understandable and cohesive.

Overall challenges:

One challenge with storyboarding in my opinion is that not everyone is an artist, and drawing the panels can be a struggle for some people. Unfortunately, this can make the process a bit stressful.However, it's not about being a perfect artist, it's about expressing the ideas effectively, clearly, and understandably. If the all people who didn't know how to draw opted out on storyboarding, we'd be missing such crucial parts of amazing films. That just goes to show how common a lack of drawing skills are.Another challenge is that storyboards can be time-consuming to create, especially for complex scenes. To draw out entire scenes and to annotate for shot angles and sizes, transitions, lighting, etc..., things could get a little lengthy. Personally, this was an issue I ran into. I found myself struggling with perfectionism, thus elongating the drawing process. I found myself needing to be reminded that the whole point is to convey the story clearly- It doesn't have to be a 10/10 drawing to do so.

Overall, I had a good time learning about and practicing storyboarding. Drawing happens to be my biggest hobby since I was little, so it was fun to see this type of creativity bleed into the film-making process.

Last but not least... My storyboard!!